Marvellously Moreish Mocha Tray Bake

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I’ve had a really busy couple of weeks, so have been focussing on food that can be prepared, cooked, and eaten in as little time as possible. Why, I thought, should lack of time mean lack of cake? After a late night on Saturday, I couldn’t be bothered to move on Sunday, but knew I needed some sort of baked good to cure the combined hangover/tiredness combo I was nursing. Endless tea wasn’t enough, and desperate for caffeine, I combined whatever ingredients I had in the cupboard to avoid walking to a shop. Enter this marvellously moreish mocha tray bake. It’s the simplest recipe ever, requiring just one bowl and one tin, and contains the perfect amount of chocolate, sugar and a little caffeine buzz. Because it involves coffee, it’s a justified breakfast, lunch, or pudding, and works WONDERS on a hangover. Easy, effective, ESSENTIAL.

I should confess, I didn’t make the frosting. But that’s even better, am I right? Easier. Quicker. Yummier. Betty Crocker chocolate fudge icing is VEGAN and keeps for up to 6 weeks once opened, so I had some left over from a cake I made for a dinner party the weekend before. It’s absolutely perfect to chuck on top of any sponge or cupcake, and tastes so good. So get your hands on this bad boy, and whip up my mocha cake recipe as follows:

Mocha Tray Bake

Ingredients

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup spelt flour and one cup plain for added texture and nutrients but you could use any flour you wanted, even Gluten Free if preferred)

3 heaped teaspoons of cocoa powder (or as much as you want for extra chocolatey-ness)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup coconut oil (melted so in liquid form)

1 tbsp oil

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup non-dairy milk

1/2 cup brewed coffee

Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge frosting (if you can’t get hold of this, you could easily use icing sugar, a little vegan butter or margarine, and cocoa powder to make your own)Method

Add melted coconut oil, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup and oil, and mix thoroughly. (Whisk or hand-powered with a fork, entirely up to you! It’s quite easy to mix, doesn’t take too long, and you don’t have to worry about over mixing)

Add brewed coffee to the mix. You can make this as strong as you like. I used 2tsp of fine espresso powder with 1/2 cup hot water. Stir until it’s incorporated.

Line brownie tin with baking paper or grease with vegan butter (you could also use any other square baking tray or even a loaf tin but it would take longer to cook)

Pour the mix into the tin and bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 20-24 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Dollop a healthy amount of frosting on top and spread! Slice and enjoy!!

I also added a sprinkling of espresso powder onto the icing for extra coffee taste. It eventually dissolved and tasted as though I’d made coffee icing. This probably wouldn’t work with granules, though.